Isolated hepatocytes are widely used in many areas of research. There remain, however, many methodological questions about the procedures for isolating, evaluating, and handling hepatocytes in either suspension or primary culture. The objective, therefore, is to hold a conference on the isolation, characterization, and use of isolated hepatocytes. Invited speakers will discuss the techniques involved in the isolation of viable, hormone-sensitive hepatocytes, the methods used to assess the viability and metabolic responsiveness of isolated hepatocytes, the technques involved in establishing primary cultures of isolated hepatocytes, and the techniques developed for subcellular fractionation studies with isolated hepatocytes. The conference will also provide a forum for the presentation of recent advances in metabolic regulation made possible by the isolated hepatocyte preparation. The metabolism and metabolic effects of hormones, alcohol, drugs, and hepatotoxic agents will be emphasized. The two-day program will consist of oral presentations by 25 invited participants along with the presentation of 50 posters by individuals selected from submitted abstracts. The total number of attendees, including invited participants, will be restricted to 150. The proceedings of the conference, including manuscripts from both the invited talks and poster presentations, will be published.